Tainted Heart
by Shadowclanwarrior
Summary: Lucinda Harrowine had always dreamed of being a shinigami, just like her hero, Adrian Crevan. But with the reaper society not allowing her to follow her dream, the outcast runs away and meets up with a retired grim reaper simply known as the Undertaker, who takes her in. With these two lost souls coming together, both become very attached to the other in ways they couldn't imagine.
1. Introduction

_**Better Summary:**_

_Lucinda Harrowine had always dreamed of being a legendary shinigami, just like her hero the great Adrian Crevan. But with the grim reaper society not allowing her to follow her dream, the outcast shinigami steals her own death scythe and meets up with a retired grim reaper simply known as the Undertaker, who takes her in and trains her in the art of soul reaping. With these two lost souls coming together, both become very unexpectedly attached to the other, turning both of their worlds upside down._

**Takes place in manga universe.**

* * *

_"I never fit in. I am a true alternative. And I love being the outcast. That's my role in life, to be an outcast." _

_- Meat Loaf_

In every society, there is a center norm for all individuals to follow. In every perfectly structured society, one must live by these standers and never sway away from it, for to fall from that said path would be like falling from grace. And the grim reaper society was no different from this rule, in fact, one could consider that they could be the source of that rule.

A shinigami's life is set in stone from the moment they are born, their life just like any other shinigami's. The males of the species must train and learn to gather souls of humans and save their cinematic records to be stored in the great Shinigami Library. He must be fully committed to his job, to show no emotional attachment or concern for a life and to take in orders without question. And while he is out retaining the balance of life and death, the females must always be ready to organize those collected souls and help their fellow men from afar.

A shinigami woman must always be as calm and levelheaded, ready to do whatever their male counterparts ask of them. They must be willing to give themselves fully to their comrades, their husbands, and their sons of the future generation of grim reapers. With the men being the fighter and the women being the supporter, a perfect utopia stands with every shinigami having a place and certain role for them.

But in contrast with every utopia born, there is always that one, or two, outcasts who change it forever.


	2. Chapter 1

Lucinda Harrowine let out a dreamy sigh as she flipped through the pages of one of the books in the grand Shinigami Library. She was hiding in the far corners of the library, specifically in an old storage room, sitting on the floor with only a little light to see from. Though Lucinda did not mind the dim lighting, for as long as she had her book, it did not matter if she got a headache from exhausting her poor nearsighted vision. Her smile grew and grew with every sentence she read, the admiring look in her bright yellow-green eyes becoming stronger and stronger.

"Harrowine? Harrowine are you here?"

Lucinda froze as she heard one of the head librarians call her name. Clutching tightly onto the book, she internally prayed to herself that she would not be caught sneaking off from work again, for she knew she would not hear the end of it if she did. Though, even if she was working like she was supposed to, she would be called out for shelving the books wrong again. Or the fact that she wasn't in the proper uniform, or that her long dark orange hair was out of place, or that her glasses were not put on correctly... The list could go on and on, in fact, to the point where Lucinda expected to be criticized just for breathing at the wrong times.

_Just have one thing out of place and the whole world has to point it out._

Eventually, she heard her superior's footsteps ceased, going right pass the storage room. Lucinda let out a sigh of relief and continued back to her reading.

Until the door to the storage room was forced opened a minute later and let out a bright flash of light. Lucinda shielded her eyes and growled.

"H-hey! Don't open the door so fast!" she cried out. "It hurts the eyes!"

A small chuckle went passed her ears.

"Then perhaps you should start rethinking on where to hide when you want to slack off. Honestly, Lucinda, you really need to think these things through."

With her eyes getting used to the light, Lucinda lowered her hand to see the face of her good friend, Ronald Knox.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, there aren't that many places I can go," Lucinda said as she stood up. "Nor is it easy to get away from all these supervisors and higher officials around."

Ronald rolled his eyes, yet having an amused smile on his face.

"And yet I wonder _why_ they keep having the higher ups keep an eye on the library staff so often, specifically you..."

He paused for a short moment.

"Yep, that is a mystery that I will never know."

Lucinda growled and playfully punched his arm.

"Shut up! Like you don't slack off when they give you overtime with reaping souls!" she countered.

"Though at least I know how to not be so obvious," Ronald replied.

Seeing the book in her hand, he quickly took a hold of it and stole it away from Lucinda. She gasped in protest, trying desperately to get her book back as Ronald pushes her away. While keeping her back, he read the front cover. He frowned.

"_Really_, Lucinda? You're reading that old textbook about the most famous grim reapers?"

He opened the book with one hand and saw that one particular section is bookmarked.

"Oh! And the 'Adrian Crevan' section is the part where you are reading, I see..."

"Give it back, Ronald!"

Finally able to get the book out of his grasp, Lucinda took the book and hugged it protectively to her chest, her face turning bright red. Ronald smirked.

"I can see that old crush hasn't left you," he said. "Even after all this time out of school, you still dream about the Legendary Adrian Crevan."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"S-so what if I do! He is a great shinigami who has done so much! Reaping the souls of people like Marie Antoinette and Robin Hood... How can someone, especially someone like you who actually reaps souls, _can't_ admire that?!"

A dreamy look appeared in Lucinda's gaze as she started to ramble on how great Adrian Crevan was. Ronald, sighing to himself, allowed her to ramble and praise as he dragged her out of the storage room.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, that is interesting to hear, Lucinda..."

He closed the door to the storage room, locking it in the process. Lucinda blinked, now realizing that Ronald wasn't really listening to her.

"...Fine, don't listen to me!" she exclaimed. "It doesn't matter! For one day I'll meet him when I become a legend just like him! A great reaper of souls, the first and greatest female shinigami!"

It took all of Ronald's self-control not to burst out laughing, as the edges of his mouth twitched.

"...Lucinda, listen to yourself. You just said to of the most impossible of things," he said, his voice sounding a mix between amused and serious. "The higher ups would never accept a girl into their ranks. Soul reaping is just not a thing for women to do. It is a far too physically and mentally challenging that requires a lot of will and patience, which is even hard for us men at times! And second, Adrian Crevan has disappeared from the reaper society centuries ago, so even if you somehow did get famous with soul reaping and all, you would most likely never meet him."

Lucinda tightened her grip on her book.

"So just because I wasn't born a man means I have to be stuck here all my life?!" she demanded, sounding offended.

Ronald shook his head as he grabbed a large stack books from a nearby desk.

"No, I mean if you really hate your job, you could become a secretary or even a teacher," he suggested. "I mean, there are a loads of things you can do."

"Yeah, but _those_ are all jobs that are _exactly_ the same as this one!" Lucinda argued. "They keep me cooped up in one place and don't have anything of self value to them! I want excitement, a chance to go outside our realm and see what the mortal world is like! Want to be a_ true_ grim reaper!"

Ronald took awhile to reply, his yellow-green gaze staring deeply into Lucinda's eyes. A rare look of concern and solemnity appeared in his usual carefree expression, where he let out a heavy sigh.

"Lucinda, you've got to understand that it is just a fantasy and nothing more," Ronald said. "You can never have the job like I have, and even if you could, you wouldn't like it. You really don't know what you would be getting yourself into, and you will immediately regret it the moment you try to reap your first soul. Now, hold this."

Stepping closer to her with the large stack of books, Ronald gave the stack to her. Lucinda struggled involuntarily to hold onto them, however her eyes remain on Ronald.

"You don't know if that is what I would truly think," she said firmly. "How can you just assume that if I have never been able to have the chance?!"

"Because it is not how it is supposed to be," Ronald replied. "I may not be fully by the book either, as a lot of the overly strict rules can be annoying at times, such as overtime, but at least I _know_ what can be pushed and what can't be. And if you keep your head in the clouds, you are going to put yourself into a big amount of trouble with the-"

"There you are, Harrowine!"

Ronald was cut off as he and Lucinda turned to see the head librarian approach them.

"Harrowine, you _better_ not be slacking off again!" the head librarian exclaimed, her voice full of intense anger. "I have caught you slacking off over a hundred times this decade! I have warned you time and time again for your laziness and disrespect, but this is the _very_ last straw!"

Overwhelming anger burned within Lucinda, as she started to open her mouth come up with a snappy reply. But before she could say anything, Ronald gave a carefree smile to the head librarian and said, "Sorry ma'am, I was just wanting to speak with Lucinda for a second, after a long day of work and all. She was working really hard when I stopped by, hence the large stack of books she is carrying."

He pointed towards them for emphasis.

"Sorry if I caused any problems."

The head librarian narrowed her eyes, her gaze shifting between Lucinda and Ronald. Behind the stack of books, Lucinda gave a 'what the hell?' look but Ronald seemed to ignore it. Eventually, the head librarian sighed.

"If that's how it is, I'll take your word from it, Mr. Knox. But please, don't distract Miss Harrowine from her duties. She has enough problems as it is."

_What?!_

If it wasn't for the stack off heavy books she was carrying, Lucinda would have punched that woman in the face. With that said, the head librarian walked away, and once she was out of earshot, Ronald turned to Lucinda.

"See what I mean? You already have it bad for yourself and you don't need to make it worse. If I didn't save you right there, you would have been out of the job."

Lucinda growled and put the book stack, including her own book, down on the table.

"But what else am I suppose to do," she demanded, "just pretend that everything is fine and go with what everyone tells me? That I should ignore my own ambitions because it isn't normal for what women want?! I've been trying and trying to fit in, but it doesn't seem to work, as you clearly see!"

"I understand that it is hard to be at the exact standers that everyone puts on you," Ronald replied, a hint of sympathy in his voice. "But you will find a way to show that you belong, I know you will. Just don't let your stubbornness blind you and keep you back."

He smiled.

"Glad that I was able to give you another chance to keep your job. I got a date tonight, so I'll see you later."

Waving goodbye, Ronald left the library. Lucinda watched him go, a million things going through her mind.

_Find a way that I'll belong..._

She laughed softly to herself.

_As long as I'm trapped in the role I'm in, I'll _never_ find my place._

Picking up some of the books, Lucinda began to shelve them back in their proper place. As she worked, she could hear some of the other librarians stare at her and make comments to themselves. Some of them were even laughing. Lucinda tried to make eye contact with them, but once they noticed that she was listening to them, the two would quickly pull apart and go back to doing their job. Lucinda let out a heavy sigh.

_Damn my life._


	3. Chapter 2

After a long day of work, Lucinda slowly made her way towards her apartment. She was walking through the not so crowded streets of the city, as most of the men were still out reaping souls. The only few people that were out were the women who were getting off of work like Lucinda was, each having the same expressionless look on their faces. Lucinda always hated that look, the look of blandness and boredom. There was no personality between most female grim reapers, all having that supposed selfless, robotic attitude.

_And people actually want me to become like that?_

Lucinda sneered at that thought.

Trying to quicken her pace so she can get home quicker, she went past a small group of teenage girls gossiping at a street corner.

"So, did you hear that someone actually broke into the death scythe department and stole a custom death scythe yesterday?" a blonde hair girl was saying.

Lucinda froze in place. She glanced back at the girls, one of them nodding their head.

"Yes! I've heard it was a new model," a brunette with short curls exclaimed, "and it was a customized one as well!"

"Customized?!" a girl with large glasses gasped. "Oh my God, this _is_ serious! It is almost impossible to get one of those, my boyfriend tells me, so it must be very powerful."

"Yeah, but what makes it even more shocking is that no one knows who did it," the blonde girl said. "There was no trace of evidence at all! And to get into a high secured building like that...whoever did it, he must be a very skilled reaper."

The dark haired girl let out a dreamy sigh.

"He must be a _very_ strong shinigami, and maybe even good looking too!"

All the girls gave girlish giggles, none of them really giving any real thought of what the situation actually meant. But Lucinda did, her eyes widening as she just stood on the sidewalk.

Someone...someone actually stole something from the death scythe department, _succeeding_?! That...that was truly an amazing accomplishment, for the only thing that the grim reapers kept more sacred than the cinematic records was their tools for gathering those human memories.

Lucinda slowly continued her long walk, her thoughts drifting as she tried to picture how that person was able to break into the death scythe department. She had always seen that building from afar, as it was not too far from the Shinigami Library, and she always knew how crowded and tightly secured it was. In fact, she even at times fantasized herself going there and getting her own death scythe.

_If I could have my own death scythe, then I would be on my way to becoming a real grim reaper._

Wait...

Stopping right in front of the door to her apartment, Lucinda ceased all movement as a dangerous thought appeared in her mind.

No...she couldn't do _that_! She would have to be the most desperate person in the whole realm if she really went through that thought. It was an act of treason, suicidal, too impossible for someone like her to do alone!

_But...it may be the only way for me to ever to become more. _

Lucinda put her key inside the lock of the door and slightly turned it.

It was a true, she knew deep down. Just going along with the flow and complaining about how her life sucked wasn't going the change anything. If she was going to be that great shinigami she always dreamed to be, _she_ had to be the one to act, not the higher officials. They would never accept her, like Ronald said, nor would they accept any other girl who had the exact same dreams that she had, if there were any. If there was going to be a change, if she wanted to escape, then she had to act, just like that man who broke into the death scythe department.

Lucinda smiled slightly, sighing a bit to herself as she went inside her apartment.

Yep, she was definitely crazy to plan on breaking into the death scythe department herself.

* * *

After a week of careful planning and preparing, Lucinda got herself ready to go out and achieve her death scythe. She had everything perfectly planned out, with a backup plan to make sure that nothing went wrong. No matter what happened tonight, she was _going_ to escape, she was going to finally make her dream a reality!

Lucinda smiled as she stared at herself in a full body mirror in her bedroom. After buying some men's clothing, Lucinda did her best to disguise her feminine form, hoping it would give her some advantage with no long skirt to trip over and freer movement. It was a simple black business suit, with a white undershirt and yellow-green tie to match her eyes. She had pulled back her long hair, making sure it would have no interference with her work. She looked like a professional, she honestly appeared to be an official reaper. Lucinda's smile grew, pure happiness and excitement going through her.

_I'm going to do it!_

With the darkness of the night covering her, Lucinda left her apartment and stalked through the dark streets. Using Ronald, who was completely oblivious to her intent, gave her insight on what was going on with the shifts at his work. She had chosen to come out on a date where most of the shinigami would be out late for excessive overtime. With most of the men gone, that would mean less guards and fewer people to react to when she finally made her deed.

The streets were completely deserted, a deathly silence blowing through the never changing cool air. In fact, Lucinda didn't really have to sneak around as she walked, for there was absolutely no one to see her. Her heart pounded in her chest with every step she took, but no fear was in her gaze, only adventurous excitement.

Eventually, Lucinda arrived at the front of the Shinigami Library. Only a block left till she reached the death scythe department. Lucinda stared at her old work for a long moment. If there was one thing she would miss, it would be the library. True, she hated working there, but it was the place where she could read all the time and be 'close' to the grim reaper legends. Be close to Adrian Crevan. A determined look burned in Lucinda's eyes.

_But soon I will be a part of those legends. It may start out as an act of treason, but I will prove to them that I am one of them! _

Treason...

Putting that thought in the back of her mind, Lucinda made her way past the library and towards the death scythe department. It was part of a bigger government building, where all the higher officials' offices were and where the specially made grim reaper glasses were crafted, but there was a front door entrance for easy access to those who needed their death scythes repaired so they didn't have to go through the entire building. Like she expected, there were no guards outside the white, now silver in the dark, building. But there was security traps to worry about, and Lucinda knew she could not get over-confident.

One wrong move, and she was dead.

Taking a deep breath of air, Lucinda made her way to the door. Taking out a lock pick from her pocket, she carefully started to pick the lock. It took several minutes, Lucinda's breathing quickening as she kept glancing over her shoulder. Eventually, she heard the lock click, and the automatic door opened for her. Lucinda smiled in triumph.

_Yes! _

She quickly moved inside. Keeping her eyes and ears alert, along with staying in the shadows, she moved through the dark, enclosed waiting room. So far, she could not see any security traps.

_Perhaps they thought no one would be foolish enough to break in again? _

The higher officials have yet to capture, or reveal, who did the first break in, but they went out of their way to intimidate those who would dare try it for themselves. Or at least the men, for Ronald had told her how much crap he had to take from the higher ups giving out warnings and threats. They did not, however, thought about warning or making sure any women wouldn't break in. Lucinda smirked.

_Serves them right for underestimating us. Or underestimating me._

Getting past the waiting room and front desk, Lucinda quietly and cautiously went down a long hallway. It was hard to see, but she eventually was able to get to a door that led to the room where they built the death scythes. After picking the lock to the door like she did the front, she slowly opened it. She gasped.

The room was the most amazing thing she had ever seen, for it was stored with hundreds upon hundreds of death scythes, each having their own features and even some with personal customization. There were death scythes big and small, sharp blades to skinny razors, from complex designs to simple functions. They were all modern and brand new, death scythes that were yet to be chosen by a shinigami. And one of them was going to be hers.

Lucinda slowly stepped into the room, her eyes moving from death scythe to death scythe. Each one had their own advantages and disadvantages, Lucinda could clearly see, but she needed to be sure she picked the scythe that would be perfect for her and for her alone. And there was a certain model that she had in mind to pick...

When she did not see the scythe that she wanted, Lucinda walked towards the far back of the room. And there, in the far corner, was a death scythe that caught and held Lucinda's eye. The scythe, unlike the others in the room, was a very simple design and had the least customization, clearly telling that it was newly made. It was in the classical death scythe design, with a long, dark brown handle with a giant, sharp blade at its end that was big enough to cut off ten human heads with no problems. It was simple, but elegant, and it would show true power to whoever held it.

Lucinda, her eyes shining, stepped closer to the magnificent death scythe. Yes..._this_ was the scythe that she wanted! With her heart beating faster and faster, Lucinda reached out towards it.

But the moment she took it within her grasp, bright red lights came on within the room and a loud siren went off throughout the entire building. Lucinda gasped, cold fear going through her body as the alarms went off.

Without thinking, Lucinda ran out of the room with her death scythe in hand. She dashed down the hallway, the sirens echoing through her ears and the red lights taking over her vision. With the front door now being barred up, Lucinda raised her death scythe and sliced through it, destroying the fragile door. The cool night air spread itself onto Lucinda's face, for in the distance, she could see a bunch of small lights coming closer and closer to her. The shinigami authorities were coming after her! Using all her strength, Lucinda ran for life, hearing shouting behind her and the sound of death scythes trying to take her down.

"Stop him, don't let him get away!" she heard someone exclaim.

Lucinda did not dare to look back, she did not dare slow down her pace. There was no way that she was going to lose them this way, if she kept running, she would eventually run out of energy and be caught. There was only way she would have any hope of getting out alive was to cross the line into the human world.

_I have to make it! I have to go faster!_

At that moment, she saw from the corner of her eye a grim reaper come up behind her and try to strike her down with his death scythe. Reacting quickly, Lucinda turned around and blocked his attack with her own scythe. Their eyes met, and her attacker's eyes widened.

"_What_?! A _woman_!?"

Taking advantage of his distracted state, Lucinda pushed him back with her scythe and quickly dashed away. Faster and faster, pushing herself more and more. Eventually, Lucinda found herself coming up to the edge of the shinigami realm, the gateway to the human world. Hope appeared on Lucinda's face.

_I'm almost there!_

"Close the gate, close the gate!" one of the grim reapers shouted, realizing what she was doing. "_Don't let her go through_!"

But the command came out too late, for Lucinda already dashed right through the black barred opened gate. Going through a bright white light, she had crossed over to the human world.


	4. Chapter 3

As the bright white light flashed past her, Lucinda could feel cold droplets of rain pour down on her. The area around her became pitch black, dim streetlights barely illuminating the dark, rainy city. Lucinda continued run with all her might, not taking the chance of letting the shinigami catch up to her if they indeed followed her. But with slippery, wet streets, she had trouble keeping her balance, and with her long death scythe to carry along with her fatigue starting to catch up to her…

_No, I can't fall now! _

Eventually, Lucinda lost her footing under the slippery wet street, causing her to fall right on her face. Lucinda cried out, her whole front and legs aching as the rain poured down on her. She tried to lift up her head, her glasses fogging up and blinding her with rain droplets. She breathed heavily, trying to find the energy to get up. With her blurred vision, she could barely see a dark figure trying to approach her.

"…N-no! Stay back!"

Lucinda sat up a bit and raised up her scythe, glaring down at the figure who was coming closer and closer. Fear took a hold of Lucinda, as she knew that she was completely defenseless. The figure, who Lucinda could tell was a man, stopped right in front of her, as she looked up to meet his gaze. But she could not see any eyes. The man let out a small chuckle.

"What have we here? A little grim reaper all alone in the rain," he said with a slightly amused tone. "And a woman, nevertheless."

Lucinda's eyes widened, her grip tightening on her death scythe. The man chuckled again, reaching out his hand towards her.

"It's alright, m'dear. I won't harm you. I can take you someplace safe from the rain."

Lucinda's eyes widened. She stared at the man for a long moment, her mind racing, wondering if this was some kind of trick. Slowly, knowing that she had little choice, she reached up and took his hand. The mysterious man helped her up, but the moment she was on her feet again, Lucinda felt her legs become weak. Taking her death scythe from her hand, the man let her lean on him for support.

"My shop isn't too far from here," he said. "Just hang in there until I can get you some place the lay down."

Lucinda only nodded in reply, her eyelids growing heavy as she felt herself become light headed. Whoever this man was, she had no choice but to trust him.

Blindly, Lucinda let her savior guide her towards a dark building, in which she could not see any details of what it was from her almost ruined glasses. The man opened the door, and guided Lucinda into a dark room where she felt her damp clothes become extremely heavy. After walking through what seemed to be a long hallway, they entered a small room where a single bed laid.

"Lie down here and rest," the man said. "The shinigami officials will not get you here."

The moment he let go of her, Lucinda fell down on top of the bed, her world fading into black as she closed her exhausted eyes.

* * *

Groaning in her sleep, Lucinda slowly opened her eyes. She stared blankly at a blurry, dark gray wall, her mind feeling fuzzy as she tried to remember what she was doing. The bed she was in...it was very cozy, though a bit rough and damp. She was very comfortable, making it to where moving a single muscle took so much effort.

But...this was _not_ her bed.

Forcing herself to sit up, Lucinda slowly reached out to a nearby nightstand where she found her glasses. Placing them on, she blinked a couple of times to find herself in a very empty, cobwebbed filled bedroom.

_Where...where am I?_

It took awhile for Lucinda's mind to fully remember her break in to the death scythe department, her escape to the human world. And her encounter with the mysterious man. Lucinda felt her face paled.

She couldn't hear anything in the room, the door to the room being shut. Her death scythe was nowhere in sight, making her anxiety grow even more. Slowly, Lucinda stood up from the bed and cautiously walked towards the door. She opened up, poking her head out just a bit to see if anyone was there, but it was completely deserted.

A small light came from the left end of the hallway, in which Lucinda guessed that someone was down there. Taking a deep breath of air, she made her way towards it. Staying hidden within the shadows, Lucinda took a small look inside the room to see what looked like, to her surprise, a funeral shop. Handmade wooden coffins were scattered all over the place, cobwebs in every corner with scattered books laying on dusty bookshelves. At the front desk, Lucinda could see the back of a man wearing a long black coat and black hat with extremely long silver hair.

Lucinda's eyes widened, for she had no doubt that was the man who saved her.

Slowly, the man turned around to show his pale face, his long silver bangs covering his eyes as a long scar divided his face diagonally in half. A large, seemingly friendly, smile appeared on face.

"You don't need to hide. I know that you are there."

Lucinda froze. Without having any choice, she slowly came out. She gave a nervous look.

"Um...hello," Lucinda said softly. "I...uh, guess it was you who brought me here..."

The man nodded, his smile still remaining at large.

"I did, and it was a good thing that I did. You didn't look like you were going to last much longer out there."

He rest his arm on top of the desk.

"You are not hurt, are you?" he asked. "You fell unconscious the moment I brought you in, so I didn't get a chance to check you."

Lucinda shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. Just tired. I, uh, had to do a lot of running."

The man chuckled slightly.

"Indeed you did. Running away from the grim reapers, weren't you, young shinigami?"

Lucinda's eyes widened, a look of shock appearing on her face.

"...How do you know that I am a grim reaper?!" she demanded. "I...how can a _human_ like you tell what I am!?"

As if she said the greatest joke ever, the man fell into a large laughing fit. He leaned into his desk and placed his hand over his head, laughing so hard. Lucinda stared at him, too shocked and confused to act. Eventually, the man got a hold of himself and turned back towards Lucinda.

"He he he! I thought it would have been obvious," he said with small giggles. "It would be really sad if I was unable to tell apart between my own species and another, especially if they have their death scythes with them."

Lucinda gasped.

"Wait...you're a _shinigami_?!"

The dark man nodded, smiling brightly.

"Indeed I am, m'dear, though long retired from active duty," he explained. "I sort of got tired of living by the rules in the shinigami realm, so I came here to live about the humans. A quite fascinating life, living among those who we reap the souls of."

He tipped his head to the side slightly.

"And it looks like that you had the same thought, did you not, m'dear? Is that why you stole a death scythe and ran away?"

It took awhile for Lucinda to reply, as she was still in shock that she was talking to a member of her own kind in the human world, one that _willing_ helped her after what she did.

"...Yes, you could say that," she finally explained. "I hated being forced to be in the role I was in, so with a little inspiration, I decided to rebel."

The man nodded his head.

"I see. So the role of women hasn't changed since the centuries I've been gone? Can't say that I'm surprised."

He studied Lucinda for a moment.

"And for a person who has been so enclosed and closely protected her whole life, it is impressive that you were even able to _get_ to the human world. Let alone with a death scythe as big as the one you had..."

"Yeah, speaking of my death scythe, where is it?" Lucinda asked, though it sounded more like a demand.

The dark man did not answer right away, as it appeared that he was lost in thought. Lucinda grew a little irritated by that.

"Uh...hey, are you there?"

The man blinked underneath his bangs.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, your death scythe..."

He smiled.

"After you fell unconscious, I stored it in the back of my shop. It is in a safe place, don't worry."

He paused.

"Though I'm surprised you chose to steal an old fashion death scythe such as that. Being young, I would have thought you would have tried to steal one of the more modern ones."

"Oh, well, if I was going to have my own death scythe, I wanted one that would have a special meaning to me..."

Lucinda moved her gaze towards the dark wooden floor, a small blush appearing on her cheeks.

"...I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you, since you saved my life and all," she said softly. "The reason why I ran away was because I wanted to be a great shinigami, to be a legendary grim reaper like all those legends who have taken the souls of the greatest of humans. I wanted to have thrill and excitement in my life! I wanted to be just like my hero who I have admired ever since school..."

A curious look appeared on the dark man's face.

"Oh? And who may that be?"

Lucinda's eyes grew brighter, her blush becoming slightly larger.

"I wanted to be a great grim reaper just like Adrian Crevan."

At the mention of the great shinigami's name, the dark man let out another great fit of laughter. Only this time it was much louder, if that was even possible, him falling out of his chair and landing on the floor. Lucinda glared down at him, her face now completely red.

"H-hey, what's so damn funny?!" she exclaimed. "Hey, stop it!"

The man continued to laugh.

"He he he! Out of all the reapers to admire, you _had_ to choose Adrian Crevan out of _all_ of them!" he exclaimed between fits of laughter.

After a long moment of laughing, he finally was able to get a hold of himself, at least as much to get himself off the floor. He leaned against the wall as he tried to catch his breath.

"He he he... My dear, Adrian Crevan is the _last_ person you want to admire," he said with heavy breaths.

Lucinda clutched her fists angrily.

_How _dare_ he laugh at me like that!_

"Oh really, and _how_ would you know?!" she snapped.

"Well...let's just say, I happen to know him personally..."

Lucinda blinked, the fury on her face slowly vanishing away.

"Wait...you _know_ Adrian Crevan?!"

The man just smiled in reply. Lucinda stared at him in pure shock, but quickly got a hold of herself as she moved closer to him.

"If you know Adrian Crevan, then you've _got_ to let me meet him!" Lucinda exclaimed. "Please, I'll do anything to just see him face to face!"

The man's hidden eyes made eye contact with Lucinda's, giving out small chuckles.

"You _really_ want to meet Adrian Crevan? And what do you plan on doing if you do meet him, little runaway?"

"Uh..."

Lucinda was unable to answer that question. The dark man laughed softly at her silence, slowly backing away from the wall and standing up straight.

"Tell you what, m'dear," he said, "since it is your dream to become legendary shinigami, you are going to need to be taught the ways of soul reaping. Not only that, but since you are an outlaw and on the run from the grim reaper society, you are also going to need to blend into the human world to survive. If you don't learn those two things quickly, you can consider yourself as good as dead."

Lucinda blinked, a puzzled look forming in her eyes.

"What are you saying?" she asked.

The man smiled.

"I'm saying that you won't last long the moment you leave this shop. And charming me as you have, I've decided that I will take you under my wing and train you not only how to be a grim reaper, but also how to mask your shinigami scent and live among humans."

Lucinda's eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief.

"Really?!" she exclaimed, shocked. "You...actually _mean_ it?"

The man nodded.

"Of course. It has been awhile since I've had an apprentice and it is not often I get living guests, so why not? He he he..."

It takes all of Lucinda's self-control not form tears of joy. She smiled.

"T-thank you! This means a lot to me. I promise I'll be your best apprentice that you ever had!"

The man chuckled.

"And being my first female student at that... This shall be _very_ interesting..."

His smile grew.

"Though I have yet to ask you what your name is, and after how long we've talked, it seems ill mannered of me not to have asked."

"Oh, yeah!" Lucinda replied. "My name is Lucinda. Lucinda Harrowine."

There was a small silence before the man replied.

"...What a very pretty name you have, my dear Lucy," he finally said.

Lucinda frowned. "Uh, no. It's Lucinda."

"He he he! But 'Lucy' fits you just as well, if not more."

The man's grin grew and Lucinda raised an eyebrow.

"But you just said..."

Somehow, she got the feeling that she would not be able to talk him out of it. And it would be a bad idea to try to get into an argument with the man who just offered her the chance of a lifetime. She sighed heavily.

"Whatever. And what's your name?"

"Just call me Undertaker," the man answered simply.

Lucinda, again, gave a puzzled expression.

"But...wouldn't you prefer for me to call you by name rather than your title?"

Undertaker smiled.

"My name is not important, as it has been many decades since I've been called by it. But...maybe someday I'll tell when I believe you have the right to know."

He walked over towards the hallway.

"Now, you probably will want a change of clothes after being those wet ones for so long," Undertaker said. "I don't have much, but I have gathered a few clothes from my lady guests that would do temporarily. Whenever you feel like it, I will help you buy some new ones."

Lucinda nodded.

"Okay. And again, thank you so much."


	5. Chapter 4

_Ugh, my back is killing me!_

Ronald lazily dragged in his special custom death scythe on the ground as he returned to the shinigami realm after a long night of overtime. Just by himself alone, he had reaped over seventy-five souls throughout a bunch of small towns in Great Britain, causing him to be on his feet for hours upon hours straight. A part of him had hoped that the overtime would a little less painful than what it was, so that he could spend some time with his new girlfriend, but unfortunately, it was not so. Ronald let out a heavy sigh.

_Sometimes I wished that I had the option of not being a grim reaper. And yet somehow, Lucinda still wants this job, despite her work being more manageable._

"Hey, what's the hold up?!"

Throwing Ronald out of his tired thoughts, he almost bumped into a long line of his fellow reapers, all waiting in line to get into the shinigami realm. Ronald gave a puzzled look, running a hand through his blonde and black hair.

"What's going on?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Who the hell knows," a grumpy shinigami growled. "They better have a good reason for closing the gate on us like this!"

Ronald blinked.

"'...Closed off the gate?' What do you mean by that?"

The older shinigami narrowed his eyes.

"Well, go take a look and see for yourself!"

Moving pass the large group of grim reapers, Ronald glanced over the line to get a better view as to what was going on. His eyes widened in shock, for indeed the gate between realms _was_ closed, with a bunch of the higher officials checking out all the tired, overworked reapers who were trying to get in.

Something _really_ bad must have happened for all this chaos and security to be around. Something very, very, _very_ bad.

_"Ronald Knox, report to the front of the gate immediately! Repeat, Ronald Knox, report to the front of the gate immediately!"_

Ronald blinked has he heard his name being called over an intercom. Not wasting any time, he quickly made his way through the crowd to get to the gate, dragging his overly large death scythe with him. Once he arrived, he was surprised to see one of the most well known top reaper within the shinigami community, William T. Spears. William made eye contact with Ronald.

"Mr. Knox? I am glad you were able to get here quickly," he said in a cold, monotone voice. "We have much to discuss."

"Uh...I can see that," Ronald commented. "But why would you want to see me? What exactly is going on?"

"All will be explained momentarily," William replied. "Follow me so I may ask you some questions."

Without waiting for a reply, William quickly led Ronald through the security at the gate and they went into the city. Ronald dared not question anything further, at least for the moment, for he did not want to piss off a higher official in a situation like this. Plus, he was confused as to why he, of all reapers, was called forward?

_Did my slacking off really get _that_ much attention?_

Once they were a good distance from the crowd, William turned to face Ronald and unexpectedly said, "You are a friend of Miss Lucinda Harrowine, are you not?"

Ronald blinked.

"Um...yeah, I am," he answered, sounding puzzled. "But what does that have to do with anything? Has something happen to her?"

William let out a heavy sigh, shifting up his dark rectangular glasses.

"So you have no idea. Then this makes the situation even worse..."

There was a slight pause, Ronald waiting eagerly for William to explain himself.

"...Since this concern you as much as any other higher official, I might as well let you in all of the details," William finally said. "Around midnight, the death scythe department was robbed of one of its death scythes, just like the week before. And like the one before, the culprit managed to escape."

"That would explain the security," Ronald commented. "Though I am guessing there is more to it, since there is so much more commotion then last time."

"Indeed. And unlike the first criminal, we were able to actually get a look at who this new traitor is, since one of our guards slowed them down for a split second. And according to him, that person was your good friend, Lucinda Harrowine."

Ronald's eyes widened at the mention of his friend's name, his face becoming incredibly pale.

"W-what...are you sure you are not mistaken?!" he questioned. "I mean..."

"There is no mistake," William said, cutting him off. "They were able to see her face perfectly and without flaw. Besides, there is proof of her treachery, for she has caused many problems at her job for a long while."

"Well, yeah, Lucinda is a bit of a trouble maker," Ronald argued. "But, it's just slacking off mostly, and let's be honest, who _doesn't_ slack off?"

"That doesn't excuse the issue, for she has always been reported to be...a little off from everyone else."

The way William said it was like it was a contagious decease.

Ronald wanted to come up with another counter, but he, unfortunately, couldn't. Being abnormal _was_ Lucinda, Ronald understood that, but he still found it hard to believe that she would go so far as to _steal_ a death scythe...

_Or maybe she did. After all, she has clearly stated that she desperately wanted to be a true grim reaper._

Had she finally cracked? Had Lucinda finally had enough and broke down to finally act against all odds? Ronald let out a heavy sigh.

"If you think I have anything to do with this conspiracy, I can assure you that I had no idea or heard anything from her about this," he firmly stated. "In fact, I've tried to make sure Lucinda stayed in line rather than crossed it."

"Is that so?" William asked, clearly sounding unconvinced.

Ronald nodded.

"Yeah, why would I lie to you? But listen to me when I say that Lucinda is not a threat. She would never harm the shinigami society. She wants to _help_ it, by becoming a grim reaper like us."

William's eye twitch.

"A woman becoming one of us...what a ludicrous suggestion."

Ronald narrowed his eyes.

"Well, it is true. And because of that reason is why she was driven to do what she did."

"Even so, she still has broken the law and must be found."

William turned his back on Ronald, his yellow-green eyes shining in the darkness.

"Since you are the closest person to her, I will expect you to give your full cooperation to the investigation," he said with no emotion. "Harrowine and the other culprit must be captured without delay. Do you understand, Knox?"

It took awhile for Ronald to reply.

"...I do, sir," he replied. "So is that my top priority or am I still on soul collecting duty?"

"Your duties have not changed, as of yet, but you will be asked for information when necessary," William answered. "Though you will be informed if anything is discovered and when the time comes, you will be expected to hunt down and deal with Harrowine."

Ronald glared at William's back.

"And then what, imprison her?" he questioned in a low voice. "Put her in an insane asylum? Execute her?"

There was a long silence.

"...Those details are not important right now," William said. "Goodnight, Mr. Knox."

And with that said, he walked back to the gate. Ronald watched him go, standing in the deserted streets of the city. The sun could be seen rising in the distance, making the sky turn from black to a bright red-orange. Ronald looked down at the ground as the new sunlight hurt his eyes.

_Damn it, Lucinda. _Why_ couldn't you just have kept quiet?_


	6. Chapter 5

In the early evening, Undertaker sat at the front desk of his shop, writing a few things down on a piece of paper. It was paperwork regarding the funeral arrangements of one of his 'guests,' one that he had to fill out himself since the decease's family would not take the time to fill it out. Undertaker smiled to himself, as he remembered when they had brought her in, seeing her husband and parents' grieving faces. The look of despair and internal pain, the red eyes from crying and the soft voices in which they spoke in. It was clear that they were not taking the death of their beloved very well. In a way, Undertaker thought of their reactions to be very amusing, how they could not handle the passing without bursting into tears.

_Humans are such fragile creatures,_ he always thought. _They treat death as though it was a curse, a sin, and not a simple act of nature._

It was a good thing that there were grim reapers to take care of the dead as they did, for it was obvious that most humans would be lost without them. Though there were those few times, where there would be a human who would come into his shop and handle the death of their loved one quite well. And those were the humans that fascinated Undertaker, for they were never trained to just accept death like he and every other shinigami had. Forced to accept death without any question, forced to believe that there was no way to get around it.

"Hey, Undertaker."

Undertaker blinked as he heard his name being called. He glanced over his shoulder to see Lucinda stepping out of the hallway, now changed into one of the simple dresses that he had bought for her. Undertaker smiled.

"Do you have everything situated like you want it?" he asked.

Lucinda nodded.

"I do," she replied. "Thank you for giving me that big bedroom of yours. I…hope it isn't any trouble."

"It is no trouble, m'dear Lucy," Undertaker said with a smile. "I want you to be comfortable while you stay with me."

Lucinda crossed her arms.

"You are going to keep insisting on calling me 'Lucy,' aren't you?"

Undertaker's grin grew as he let out tiny laughs of amusement. Lucinda rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Anyways...so what are we going to be doing first, now that I'm your apprentice?"

Undertaker chuckled.

"My, my! Eager are we?"

He turned his attention back to the paperwork and started writing again.

"I hope I can keep this eagerness in you, since by the next couple months of intense training, you might lose some of you enthusiasm."

A curious look appeared in Lucinda's eyes.

"Is training that difficult? My friend back home always complained of it being stressful."

She walked up to the front of the desk, trying to get Undertaker to make eye contact with her.

"He he he, and right he is," Undertaker said, still keeping his eyes on his work. "Being a shinigami is no laughing matter, as you well know. It may be hard to believe, but there are strict limits placed on us men as for you women."

"I...see."

There was some doubtfulness in Lucinda's voice, sounding as if she couldn't fully picture men having the similar limitations as she did. Undertaker grinned to himself. Just by the sound of her voice, he could tell she had _no_ idea what she was getting herself into. Very naïve, she was, but it was a quality that made him like her more.

Finishing up that last few details on paperwork, Undertaker sat his pen down and looked up at Lucinda.

"But even before we get into the truly intense work, we need to make sure you can blend into human society," he explained. "Once you've got that down, I will teach you how to battle with your death scythe and how to properly collect souls, as well as to track down dying humans since we don't have the luxury of having a To Die List."

Lucinda nodded.

"Okay. And how long will each lesson take?" she asked.

Undertaker thought a bit before answering.

"Oh...that will depend on how fast you learn, really. In my past experiences with apprentices, it usually takes up half a century before they truly master the art."

Lucinda's face darkened.

"Oh... I guess I should have expected that."

Undertaker smiled.

"But that is all under normal circumstances, with tests and other qualifications from the shinigami society, m'dear. I will be teaching you in a way that I've never taught before, as I have complete freedom of what we can do and how we do it."

Lucinda's face brightened up.

"So does that mean it may take less time?"

"It might take less time, it may take more time," Undertaker answered while shrugging his shoulders. "It just depends how things work out and how well you progress."

He giggled softly.

"Just don't expect it to be over any time soon. He he he..."

Lucinda gave a thoughtful look.

"If that's what it takes. So, what are we going to work on now?"

Undertaker stared at Lucinda.

"...You mean you want to start _now_?"

Lucinda nodded.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "The sooner the better."

Undertaker stared at her for a long moment, amazed just _how_ eager she was. But it didn't take long for his smile to return.

"He he he! If that is what you want, my dear little Lucy."

He slid his fingers together and rested his chin on top of them.

"There are two physical traits that makes us grim reapers stand out from humans," Undertaker said. "The first one is that our eyes are what humans call 'unnatural and exotic.' It is the first thing humans and our own kind notice and will be the main way for us to recognize each other in the mortal realm. As well as any other supernatural creature like demons or angels to spot us."

"Will you also teach me on how to find a demon or angel in the mortal world?" Lucinda interrupted, her eyes glowing with excitement. "Or how to fight a demon while I'm off collecting a soul?"

Undertaker chuckled.

"Patience, m'dear. One thing at a time. Now, where was I?"

He paused for a second to regain his train of thought.

"...Ah, yes! Now, to hide your eyes will be a simple matter, as long bangs or a big hat that can cover your face can easily shield them from view. But it is the second trait that we need to focus on, and that is your superhuman shinigami strength. If you are caught carrying something or withstanding things that most humans can't, then it will rise suspicion. What you need to learn is to control that strength and have the ability to hold it back or bring out fully as you please with no hesitation."

He pointed towards one of the several coffins that laid on the floor.

"I want you to pick up that coffin and hold it with all your strength," Undertaker ordered.

Lucinda said nothing in reply, as she slowly walked up to the coffin. Getting a good grip on it, she lifted it up with no problems at all.

"Now what?" Lucinda asked.

Undertaker smiled.

"Very good. Now put it back down."

Obediently, Lucinda sat it gently down, which made Undertaker happy knowing that she was treating his handmade coffin with care.

"I want you to again lift up the coffin, only this time, use less than half of your strength," Undertaker instructed. "Your goal is not to pick up the coffin with that lessened strength, but for you to control it and make it less of an effort to switch from full strength to hardly any at all."

Lucinda nodded.

"Alright. I won't rest until I can do just that!"

Undertaker laughed softly, but before he could give a reply, Lucinda already began to work. She awkwardly tried to prevent herself from picking the coffin up, however it still lifted above the ground. She would set it back down and try again, repeating the same progress and while using different methods. Undertaker watched her silently for a while, studying her progress as he got an idea of what her strengths and weaknesses were. After a few minutes, Undertaker got up.

"I'm going to make some tea us," he said with a grin. "I will be back shortly."

"Oka-God damn it!"

Lucinda's reply was cut off as she cursed in frustration, for she lifted up the coffin higher than she intended. Undertaker chuckled to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. Lost in his own thoughts, he began to make the tea.

Just by this first lesson, Undertaker could see that Lucinda was going to be a good student. She was willing to listen, willing to work, and willing to do whatever was asked of her. Her motivation was pure, and though she sounded frustrated, it seemed like that it was going to take a _lot_ to get her unmotivated. Undertaker liked that, for it made his job easier, unlike in past experiences, where he had to almost literally shout and threaten at past apprentices to get them do even the littlest of things. The only problem with Lucinda, he predicted, would be how little experience she had, and the fact that she was a wanted criminal. It would cause a lot of problems for him if Lucinda was caught with him, and his life of peace away from the shinigami community would be forever gone. And then he wouldn't be able to perform any of his..._experiments_.

With the tea now ready, Undertaker poured the hot liquid into two beakers. Once he was done, he stared at the second one for a moment.

But even with those issues, Undertaker was happy to have Lucinda stay with him. He could understand the pain she was going through, for he had been an outcast before and after he retired. Society was cruel, whether human or grim reaper, and it could lead to much suffering.

_It would be a shame for a young, clearly strong woman like herself to be broken by society's thick chains._

"Ah ha, I did it!"

Hearing Lucinda's voice broke Undertaker out of his thoughts. Picking up the two beakers, he quickly went back to his parlor to see Lucinda sitting on the floor, panting heavily. Undertaker gave a concerned look, but he could clearly see a large smile on her face. She glanced over at Undertaker's direction, now noticing he was there.

"...I think I've got it down!" Lucinda exclaimed in triumph. "I think I got my strength down. Watch."

Standing up, Lucinda put her legs on both sides of the coffin, her back hunched over with her hair completely in her face, and tried to lift it up, using minimum strength. She was like that a few seconds until she let go of the unflinching coffin and looked up at Undertaker. Undertaker's mouth twitched as he tried not to lose it, quickly setting the beakers of tea on the desk. He finally burst into a fit of laughter, in which Lucinda's proud look vanished away. Her face paled, as she now sat on top of the coffin.

"Uh...Undertaker?"

It took a few minutes for Undertaker to get in full control of himself.

"_He he he_! I'm sorry, m'dear, but that position you were in was just hysterical!"

He took in a couple breaths of air to calm down before he approached Lucinda.

"You're just barely scratching the surface of how many limits you have to put on yourself," he explained. "You got the idea, but you are going to need more practice and more effective tactics."

He smiled.

"But you are off to a good start."

Lucinda smiled back. Going back to the tea, he handed one of the beakers to Lucinda and he sat next to her. Lucinda gave a puzzled look as she noticed what her tea was in.

"...You are _definitely_ the strangest person I have ever met."

She took a small sip of her tea and met Undertaker's gaze, or at least the best she could since she couldn't see them.

"But it is a strangeness I like. At least you have a sense of humor, unlike everyone I know back home."

She paused for a second.

"...And kind, but not in a fake or forced way."

Undertaker smiled.

"You're right. Most of the members of our species can't take a joke to save their lives. We take things way too seriously at times."

He moved his gaze to the distant wall.

"...Though calling me 'kind' may be going a bit too far."

Lucinda raised an eyebrow.

"Are you kidding?" she questioned. "How many our people would literally take me in, a fugitive? I don't think I would have done it myself if I was in your position..."

Undertaker smiled to himself.

"You have such faith in me even though we just met. Are you often this trusting?"

Lucinda's cheeks turned a slight red, as she avoided eye contact.

"...Not really, as I've never been really relaxed around most people," she answered. "I always feel that I can't be myself without being judged. But you are different, and I guess I just feel very comfortable around you..."

It was clear that she was embarrassed. Undertaker laughed softly in reply.

Yes...this _was_ an apprentice worth having.


	7. Chapter 6

Lucinda let out a heavy sigh as she walked into the parlor, carrying with her large sacks of groceries. She had been out shopping, for not only to get a resupply of food, but to also test her ability to interact and blend in with the humans.

A whole month has passed since Lucinda had first came to the human realm, and already, she has learned so many things...in which involved making her life inconvenient. All she had been learning from Undertaker was how to act more human like, controlling her inhuman strength and disguising her grim reaper traits, which included her wearing a large hat whenever she went out. Through the many weeks, Lucinda had found that she had to prevent herself from doing the simplest of things with normal weight, speed, and strength, and she had to always caution herself on how much of those attributes she would use. It was a real pain, but according to Undertaker, she was coming along real well.

_I just hope that we can get to the good stuff soon..._

Though she never said it out loud, she wasn't really that impressed with Undertaker's teaching methods. All he would do was tell her what he wanted her to practice, and then disappear for most of the day while coming out once and while to see how she was doing and maybe bring her some tea. Though she knew he was probably be busy with his mortician work, Lucinda thought it would be a little nice if he was more engaging with her training.

Lucinda grunted, taking off her big black hat and setting it down on Undertaker's front desk as she carried the sacks to the small kitchen. When she sat them down on the small wooden table, she began putting newly bought items away.

But even with training being a little dull, she couldn't say that she didn't like being here. Undertaker, when he did show himself, was easy to get along with, in fact, he was the first person that Lucinda found that she could actually _relate_ to. Just by living with him for only a month, she could tell that he wasn't the most social of people and was a little bit lonely. It was easy to tell from the way his voice sounded when he talked to her, his posture and how he responded to her. He always seemed to be really happy when Lucinda was around, which made her happy to feel appreciated.

_Perhaps me coming here was good for him as it was for me._

After she finished putting all the groceries away, along with throwing away the sacks, Lucinda stepped out of the kitchen.

"Hey Undertaker, I'm back!" she called out. "Undertaker, are you home?"

No answer came back. Lucinda blinked, wondering where Undertaker could be.

_Maybe he is in the back working on one of his...'guests,' as he likes to call them?_

It was clearly possible, for Undertaker had been extremely busy lately. Lucinda's eyes moved across the dark hallway, staring at the door that laid between her bedroom and the bathroom. It was the locked door to Undertaker's workroom, where he would take his 'guests' and prepare them for their funeral. It was the only room that Lucinda was never allowed to go into, for Undertaker had said that there were many gruesome corpses, especially of late, and many other things that he did not want her to see. Though Lucinda never questioned his order, at least verbally, she could not help but feel drawn to that room. What would be in there for Undertaker to want to keep her from seeing, why was it always locked all the time whether if he was working or not?

Why would she, in the middle of the night, hear strange animal like noises coming from the other side?

Suddenly, she heard a clicking sound coming from the workroom door, making Lucinda come out of her thoughts. The door opened to reveal Undertaker, who gave a slight surprised look when he saw Lucinda standing there. But it quickly turned into a friendly smile as he said, "Ah, you are back, Lucy. How did your little errand go?"

Lucinda smiled.

"It went well. I got everything on the list and I was able to blend in effectively."

She paused.

"...Though, are there any other errands you want me to do? Any other training exercises you need me to get done today that involve me going out?"

Undertaker snickered a bit.

"He he he! Is that all you ever think about, training?"

He moved past Lucinda and headed towards the kitchen.

"There are so many things to do in the mortal world, I would have thought by now you would have cracked and tried to explore it a bit more, other than those few times I've sent you out," Undertaker continued. "Are you not a little more curious to see how humans live now that you are among them?"

Lucinda followed him to the kitchen, where Undertaker grabbed himself a jar full of bone shaped biscuits and began to snack on them. Lucinda leaned against the doorway.

"I would rather learn how to become a grim reaper then just fool around with humans," Lucinda replied. "I would gain nothing from trying to be around them, other than getting first hands on experience with them."

"And would that not be valuable information?" Undertaker questioned with a smirk. "Would not learning more about the animals, whose souls you are going to be hunting, not benefit you in the future?"

"Well, of course, but first I need to know _how_ to hunt, don't I?"

Undertaker chuckled, taking a bite out of one of the biscuits.

"Ah, so single-minded..."

His voice grew distant, as he lost himself in his own thoughts. Lucinda waited for Undertaker to finish his thought, but when he didn't, Lucinda decided to change the subject.

"So, why were you in the workroom for so long? Got a tough guest that you need to fix?"

"You could say that," Undertaker said. "She was one of a few I had for a little while and just now got to working on her."

Lucinda raised an eyebrow. "What took so long?"

Undertaker grinned.

"Well...she was one part of many victims of a serial killer that is now plaguing London as we speak, all who which I have the job of preparing their funerals."

Lucinda's eyes glowed with interest.

"A serial killer, you say?"

Undertaker nodded.

"Yes. The woman I was working on was named Miss Mary Ann Nichols, a prostitute who was gruesomely murdered, along with many other prostitutes that I've worked on. They were all killed by one lone, very dangerous killer. One that the Scotland Yard has yet to capture or get anywhere close to it..."

Curiosity glowed on Lucinda's face.

"Fascinating...does this killer have a name?" she asked. "How does he kill these women and what kind of weapon does he use?"

Undertaker gave an emotionless smile, and though she couldn't see his eyes, Lucinda could feel them gazing into her.

"He has been hunting down prostitutes within the Whitechapel area and killing them in the most unimaginable of ways. Each of the women's corpses have been stabbed and cut apart almost to the point of being unrecognizable to be human, all of them having a very important organ of theirs taken out of their bodies. With these savaged, blood soaked killings, the yard has simply dubbed the killer as 'Jack the Ripper.'"

As he spoke, Undertaker's grin gained a slight sinister look to it, as his voice growing softer with every word. Undertaker then slowly made his way towards Lucinda, his unseen eyes never leaving hers.

"You are curious about this human killer, aren't you?" Undertaker asked softly. "You want to try to reap the soul of this very dark, _twisted_ being that would be no doubt be difficult to capture?"

Lucinda blinked, feeling slightly uncomfortable how close Undertaker was to her.

"Well," she replied, "he _would_ be a worthy catch to try out..."

Undertaker's smile grew as he delicately put his long black fingernail under Lucinda's chin, making sure her eyes never left him.

"You must _never_ get in over your head when it comes to soul reaping," he whispered with a malevolent tone of voice. "One wrong move or getting yourself overwhelmed can lead to deadly consequences. Do not try to reap Jack the Ripper's soul, unless you don't mind ending your apprenticeship with me early. Do you understand?"

Lucinda's eyes widened, her breathing coming to a halt. But before either she or Undertaker could make another move, they could faintly hear the sound of the front door being pulled open.

"Are you in, Undertaker?" the sound of a young boy's voice asked.

Undertaker suddenly tensed up. He quickly moved away from Lucinda and went out into the hallway.

"Stay here," Undertaker ordered. "Do not allow yourself to be seen."

Lucinda blinked. "Huh? Why?"

But Undertaker did not wait to give her a reply as he quickly walked into the parlor to greet whoever came in. Lucinda stood where she was, as she could hear Undertaker's voice, along with some other voices that she did not recognize. They did not sound like the few, ordinary humans that have come in to require Undertaker's services, and even if they were, why would he want to hide her from them?

_Could they be...possibly grim reapers trying to find me?_

That thought made Lucinda's heart skip a beat. If that was the possibility, she should probably lock herself in the bathroom or her bedroom until they were gone. But...what if they weren't grim reapers, since one of the voices obviously sounded like a young boy's? In the end, curiosity won her over as Lucinda cautiously made her way to the doorway of the parlor. Once she got close enough, Lucinda barely stuck her head out in order to see what was going on.

Sitting behind his desk, she could see that Undertaker was talking to a small group of people, who were all sitting on top of the coffins. The small group contained of five people, one a twelve year old aristocratic boy with an eye patch covering his left eye and dark hair, a Chinese man wearing blue robes, and a woman all dressed in red. Two butlers stood behind them, one having long, dark brown hair tied in a ponytail with a red bow, the other a handsome man with hair as black as a raven's wing that framed around his face perfectly. Lucinda sensed something strange about the two butlers, for unlike the aristocrats, there was something odd about them that made her feel uneasy, though she was too far away to get to see them in better detail.

"So you are saying that all the prostitutes that were killed all had something in common?" the young boy was saying. "And what exactly was that thing, Undertaker?"

Undertaker gave a small chuckle, and Lucinda could no doubt picture him having a large grin on his face.

"He he he! What could it be, what could it be... Wouldn't you like to know, milord?"

The boy gave a slight irritated look, while the Chinese man gave a small smirk.

"Ah, I see where you are getting at."

He stood up.

"How much would you want for the information?"

At the sound of that, Undertaker suddenly got up from his chair and quickly moved up towards the Chinese man, staring him down face to face.

"'How much?'" Undertaker repeated in a high-pitched voice. "I do not desire one of the Queen's coins!"

The Chinese man's face paled dramatically, along with the woman in red and the butler with the ponytail. Slowly, Undertaker turned his attention towards the boy, moving right in front of him like he did the Chinese man only seconds ago.

"Now, milord...give _it_ to me!" Undertaker exclaimed. "Bestow upon me the choicest of laughter! Do that for me and I shall tell you _anything_!"

He began to giggle like a small child, making the actual child groan with disgust.

"What a creep you are," the boy said as he backed away from the Undertaker, the raven-haired butler seeming too speechless for words.

While watching the whole thing, Lucinda put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Thankfully, she was not overheard, as the Chinese man once again walked up to Undertaker.

"Allow me to handle this, my lord," he said with pure confidence. "People have called me the sleeping tiger of New Year parties in Shang-Hai! And now...I shall demonstrate it in full!"

He cleared his throat.

"A fool on the futon."

There was a long silence, Undertaker not giving any reaction. The others just gave the Chinese man confused looks, including Lucinda.

_Do all humans have strange senses of humor?_

Eventually, the woman in red let out a heavy sigh.

"Lau, that would never do," she said, standing up. "Allow me to take it from here."

The Chinese man, Lau, nodded his head and the woman took his place before Undertaker. The woman cleared her throat, and as she spoke, got into a dramatic pose.

"Madam Red, star of social circles shall share with you her best tale!"

In the background, the butler with the ponytail stood in the back, shaking like he was afraid that Madam Red was going to be struck by lightning.

"_Madam_...!" he whimpered.

Undertaker gave Madam Red his full attention, in which she began to describe the most over the top, perverted, long-winded of stories. As she talked, her butler's face grew red with embarrassment, Lau having a large smile slithering across his lips, and the raven-haired butler plugging in the ears of the young boy to shield his innocence. Lucinda could feel her face grow hot, a part of her feeling slightly turned on by that story, though she failed to see the humor behind it. After all, sexual discussion was not regarded lightly in the shinigami community.

The only one who seemed unaffected by Madam Red's story, by the time she was done, was Undertaker, in which he completely ignored her and moved his attention back onto the young boy. Putting his hands together, a large smile appeared across his face.

"That only leaves you, milord," he said. "And last time, I do believe I was a bit generous... Do not expect any specials this time."

The young lord groaned, his butler beside him giving a heavy sigh.

"I'll take care of this, my lord," the butler said. "But in order to do so, I need everyone to step outside please."

The young boy blinked. "Sebastian...?"

"Oh? The master butler is giving it a go?" Undertaker said with a hint of amusement. "This shall be most interesting...he he he!"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

"Everyone, please."

With a sudden tension rising in the air, the young aristocrat, Lau, Madam Red, and her butler all one by one left the shop. Once the door was shut, Lucinda kept her eye on Sebastian as he stepped closer to Undertaker. As he did, Lucinda noticed something very strange about his eyes, for one moment they were a very deep, dark brown color and the next...

Lucinda's eyes widened, for she had no doubt that Sebastian's eyes changed into the blood-red, slit pupil, glowing eyes of a heartless demon.

And he was standing right in front of Undertaker!

Instinctively, Lucinda wanted to go grab her death scythe from her room and slay the demon right then and there, but the only thing that kept her at bay was that if she made the wrong move, Undertaker could get hurt. She clutched on tightly to the doorway, as if it was the only barrier between her and the demon.

_Why...why would Undertaker just allow a demon to approach him like that?!_

In the midst of her anger, fear, and her battle between instinctively attacking and holding back, Sebastian whispered into Undertaker's ear. Whatever he said, Lucinda could not tell, got Undertaker into a huge fit of uncontrollable laughter. Giving a twisted smile of satisfaction, Sebastian called the others back in, as they were completely shocked to see Undertaker lying on the floor, gasping desperately for breath. Lucinda growled, for she had no doubt Sebastian used some of his demotic charm to make him laugh that hard.

Once Undertaker finally calmed down again, he began to tell the young aristocrat and his associates what they wanted to know, which apparently, was information on the serial killer Undertaker was telling Lucinda about only moments ago. And though Lucinda was curious about Jack the Ripper, she barely paid any attention to the conversation as she kept her eyes locked on Sebastian. She watched every small movement he made, every expression in his face. If the demon was going to do something, she would be ready for it.

But to her surprise, the demon butler did nothing but just stand beside his master, the young boy, saying nothing but listening to Undertaker's words carefully. He didn't even react to when Undertaker approached the boy and started to make subtle threats, the demon's eyes being as cold and emotionless as a soulless human corpse.

Eventually, the boy thanked Undertaker for his information and left the shop, Sebastian and the others not far behind him. Once they were gone, Lucinda immediately got out of her hiding place and approached Undertaker.

"Why did you let that demon in here like that?!" she exclaimed, unable to keep the intense emotion she felt under control. "How could you let a demon, a long hated enemy of the shinigami, manipulate you like that!?"

Undertaker couldn't help but snicker at Lucinda's response, which made her rage and fury grow even more.

"You think it is funny?!" Lucinda snapped. "You think it is _funny_ to allow such disgusting creature walk around free in the presence of two grim reapers!"

"And just what could I have done?" Undertaker questioned before Lucinda could rant more. "A shinigami's duty is to collect the souls of humans, not slay demons."

Lucinda clutched her fists.

"Yes, but you still could have done something! I mean...it sounded like you _knew_ that demon and his human prey for a long time!"

"And I do," Undertaker replied calmly. "I have worked with young Ciel Phantomhive's family for generations. They are the 'great' Queen Victoria's watchdogs, and I sometimes provide them information regarding things about the underworld or cases like this one with Jack the Ripper."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"And yet that doesn't give you the excuse to work with a demon."

Undertaker gave a small smile.

"I wouldn't judge Sebastian Michaelis too harshly, m'dear. Out of all the demons I've seen, he is the most civilized among his kind. You will never meet another good demon like him ever again, so I suggest not to get on his bad side."

He paused for a short moment.

"And even if he weren't, I would not recommend getting into a fight with a demon if you don't have to. Demons are by far the hardest and most dangerous creatures you will ever meet, and to anger one would be foolish. And like reaping Jack the Ripper's soul, you are not ready for such a task."

Lucinda said nothing in reply, her eyes trying to meet Undertaker's underneath his bangs.

Deep down, Lucinda knew that he was right, and to go after this demon would ultimately bring her death. But there was no way she could just sit back and allow him to roam free, especially when he was stalking the soul of a young child.

_Maybe engaging him in a fight would not be the best of ideas...but would _learning_ his weaknesses be just as bad?_

"...Lucy?"

Lucinda blinked as she realized that she had dozed off. She could see a concerned look on Undertaker's face, in which she gave a simple smile.

"Sorry about that. Just a hard thing for me to let go..."

Reaching out and grabbing her hat that she had sat down earlier, Lucinda put it on and walked over towards the door.

"You know...I think I'll take your advice and take a break from training today," Lucinda said over her shoulder. "I'll be back later this afternoon."

And without waiting for a reply, she shut the door behind her.


	8. Chapter 7

Hoping to catch a glimpse of which way Ciel Phantomhive and his associates went, Lucinda glanced around both directions outside the shop, hoping that something would catch her eye. Unfortunately, the earl was nowhere in sight, and so was his demonic butler.

Lucinda cursed to herself, but she knew that they couldn't have gotten too far. After all, if they were looking for Jack the Ripper, they were bound to stay in London, and Phantomhive being an aristocrat, he was probably staying in one of the larger, more expensive houses. That was a place to start looking, but there was only one problem.

_I have no idea where any aristocrats would live._

Lucinda sighed heavily. She _really_ hated to do it, but she was going to have to seek help from the humans. To seek help from the lowest of the low...and did it feel humiliating. Choosing a person by random, Lucinda approached an older woman with fine clothes and a cane.

"Um...excuse me," Lucinda said, trying to sound a polite as possible. "But could you tell me where the Phantomhives live?"

The woman looked up at her.

"Phantomhive you say? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that name."

She gave a friendly smile.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

And then she walked away. Lucinda watched her go, clutching her fists tightly, feeling even more embarrassed, if that was even possible.

_Screw the humans! I'll find it myself!_

Picking a direction, Lucinda began to wander the busy city streets, hoping to find some signs of upper class homes. Studying the buildings as she walked, she could start to see some better quality to their structure, with better, nicer looking stone and finer wood. But all these buildings were shops, and not a single house was in sight, which was causing Lucinda to get even more frustrated.

"Pardon me, miss, but do you need some help?"

Lucinda froze, quickly turning around to see a middle class man with short brown hair behind her, giving her a concerned look. Lucinda avoided eye contact.

"I'm fine," she said. "I'm just...looking for someone."

The man blinked.

"And who would that be?" he asked. "Do you need any help?"

Lucinda crossed her arms and sighed.

_God damn it, this is humiliating!_

"...I'm looking for an aristocrat named Phantomhive," she explained softly. "Do you have an idea where I could find his house or something?"

The man paused for a moment, in which Lucinda thought he was going to blow her off like the last one did. But, to her surprise, he actually seemed to know who she was talking about.

"Oh yeah, Phantomhive! Isn't he the one who is in charge of that Funtom toy company?"

"Um..."

Lucinda hesitated for a reply.

"...I guess."

"Well, I don't know where his townhouse is specifically," the man said. "But I have an idea of where it could be, if that helps you at all."

Lucinda nodded.

"It would indeed. So, where do I need to go?"

"Well, actually you are not too far from the way," the man said. "Just keeping going straight until you start seeing some neighborhoods, and from there keeping going straight until you start seeing the mansions and all that fancy stuff."

Lucinda smiled.

"Ah, I see. Well, thank you for your help."

She began to walk away, until suddenly, the man grabbed her by the arm. Alarmed, Lucinda turned to face him.

"Wait...perhaps I can go with you?" the man asked with a small smile. "I mean, I'm heading that way anyway, so why don't we go together?"

Lucinda shook her head.

"No thank you. I prefer to go alone."

She shook the man's grip and went on her way again. But the man was more persistent than she thought, for he grabbed her by the arm again and pulled her close to him.

"Okay, I won't go with you, but can I please have your name?" the man asked pleadingly. "I would really like to get to know you better."

"Why?"

Lucinda pushed him off of her, using a bit more strength then she intended to, as she sent the man back a few extra steps. She glared at him.

"Look, I am in a bit of a hurry, so please, leave me alone!"

_And if you don't, I won't hesitate to reap your soul!_

Lucinda turned around for the third time and tried to leave, but once again, the man behind her was desperately trying to get her attention.

"Wait, please I beg you! My lady, ple-"

Suddenly, his words were cut off.

Glancing behind her, Lucinda saw the man was gone, like he had vanished into thin air. Her eyes widened, wondering what could have happened to get him to disappear like that. But, whatever happened to the man was the least of her problems, for she had to find Sebastian.

* * *

By taking the man's advise, Lucinda eventually found herself at the part of town where most of the aristocrats lived. And just by her luck, a carriage was stopping at one of the distantly spread houses, in which she recognized the driver to be Madam Red's butler.

Making sure she kept a fair distance, Lucinda watched as Madam Red's butler let Madam Red, Lau, and Phantomhive out of the carriage. But to her shock, Sebastian was nowhere to be seen. Her mind raced with questions, wondering if the young earl had let his demon lose on the town. Her heart started to race, but as she watched the earl and the others approach the door, Sebastian was there to greet them. Lau, Madam Red, and her butler all gave surprised reactions, while the earl remained calm. Lucinda moved as close as she could to the barred gate, where she could hear whatever was going on.

"Wait...are you telling me that you already have a list of suspects who could be Jack the Ripper?!" Madam Red exclaimed bewildered.

"I have, madam, and by going through all the characteristics we discussed, I've not only came up with a list of suspects," Sebastian explained, great pride coming from his voice. "I also paid that each individual a visit and asked them all the appropriate questions."

There was a long silence, but at the end, Lucinda could hear Madam Red give off a small laugh.

"Come now, Sebastian," she said, probably smirking as she did. "That is impossible for you to do all that, even for-"

She was cut off as Sebastian started to list off a bunch of subjects, why they were subjects, and his account on whether or not they were innocent or not. Though the humans were all probably blown out of their minds, Lucinda couldn't help but sneer at the pure arrogance Sebastian had as he spoke.

_'M__ost civilized among his kind.' That's a real laugh!_

"...So with this list, I have come to the conclusion that only one of these suspects could be the killer," Sebastian finally finished after the long list of names, "and that would be the Viscount of Druitt, one sir Aleistor Chambers."

"The Viscount of Druitt?" Madam Red repeated. "You mean the one who has been having all those season parties at his manor?"

Sebastian nodded.

"Indeed, madam. And he is having another one tonight, in which we have to come up..."

Sebastian cut himself off as he looked over Lau's shoulder, where he was gazing straight at Lucinda. Eyes widening, Lucinda used her hat to hide her eyes and quickly walked away. She did not dare look back until she was sure she was a good distance from the townhouse, and when she did finally stopped to catch her breath, the Phantomhive butler was nowhere in sight. Lucinda let out a heavy sigh.

So, this viscount was the man responsible for all the killings? Why would a rich man such as a viscount take the time to murder whores when it could ruin his reputation? A spark of curiosity started to catch fire in Lucinda, for not only could she learn more about the demon, but also the serial killer himself.

_But if the demon is going after Jack the Ripper...would this also mean he will try to devour his soul?_

Lucinda narrowed her eyes. No, she could not allow for that to happen, she couldn't let a soul just as Jack the Ripper's to fall into the hands of a demon! Even though Undertaker had warned her not to do it, and even though she had no experience in soul reaping, she could not afford to wait and let the demon possibly take away her soon to be greatest achievement!

_If this Viscount of Druitt is going to have a party, and if this demon is planning on sneaking in, then so am I._


	9. Chapter 8

Later that night, Lucinda got herself ready for the viscount's party, hoping that the outfit she chose would help her stand out, while at the same time, let her fit in.

For the rest of the day, she had been out on the town getting information about the Viscount of Druitt, what his parties were like and what she would have to expect. Unlike when she was asking for help to find Earl Phantomhive, she barely had to ask anyone about the viscount, as she overheard many aristocratic women talking about him. It made Lucinda's job easier, for all she really had to do was listen to their conversations and it gave her an idea of what the viscount was like. From what she gathered, the Viscount of Druitt was a romantic and a lover of all the finer things in life from money, to food, to women. His parties were of the highest quality and were always elegant, everyone dressed their best and only the richest could attend.

So, to sum up, the viscount was an aristocratic snob and these parties were a way to show off one's social class.

In all actuality, it didn't seem that different to Lucinda from the few shinigami parties she had attended with Ronald, which was all about snobocracy and for the men to show off their strength and achievements in soul reaping. Lucinda thought it was really pathetic how some of the reapers were all desperate to get all of the attention, bragging on reaping the toughest of souls when in reality they never had done their job properly; making her even angrier on how shallow some of the women were to believe in their tall tales. The only thing that saved her from pure boredom and aggravation was that she, Ronald, and whoever was his girlfriend at the time, would just hang out and mock how attention grabbing and snobbish the everyone was.

_Ronald would probably be feeling the same way about this human party too, and would have fun making a mockery of it._

Lucinda gave a small frown, as she had no doubt by now Ronald knew she was gone. A part of her wondered how he was doing, how was life like now that he didn't have her to keep an eye on? Ronald had always looked after her and been there for her, even though it would be seem like he would be the last person who would.

_ If only he could see where I am now, how close I am to making my dream becoming real! _

Since her bedroom did not contain a mirror for her to study herself, Lucinda had to wing it and hope that she looked alright. Looking down at her aristocratic dress that she had...well, stolen from a shop, she studied it to make sure everything was in place. The dress was dark green, with a long black gloves and a large black bow tied in the back...and a very revealing neckline that made Lucinda very uncomfortable, though compared to most of the other dresses, it was one of the more modest. It was very long and flowing, black trimmings at the edge of the skirt, and with her hair down to make sure her eyes are partly hidden. She could appear to be one of the higher aristocrats.

_Now the only thing I need to do is figure out is how I'm going to bring my death scythe._

Lucinda stared at her death scythe that sat against the wall in the corner, it having a nicely polished, deadly sharp blade ready to claim its first soul. And maybe even slay its first demon. Lucinda walked over to her scythe and picked up, studying it carefully.

She knew that grim reapers had certain spells cast on their overly large death scythes in order to make carrying them easier and more convenient. From what Ronald told her in the past, a reaper and his death scythe always share a close bond, and through a single thought, the shinigami's scythe will respond to the will of its true owner. But since Lucinda had stolen her death scythe, she had no idea if she was truly its owner or would it respond to her will, with the fact that she had only used once since she got it.

With her heart pounding in her chest, Lucinda clutched on tightly to her scythe and closed her eyes.

"...I want you to turn into something to fit in with my disguise," she whispered softly.

At first, Lucinda could not feel anything happening. But then slowly, she could sense a strong power coming from inside her, feeling within her hands her death scythe changing its shape. Lucinda opened her eyes, and in her hands, she saw that her death scythe had transformed into an aristocratic fan, one that matched her dress perfectly. She smiled, hugging her hidden scythe close to her.

Now she was ready.

* * *

After using her superhuman speed, Lucinda arrived hidden by the side of the viscount's manor, watching as aristocrats slowly come out of their carriages and elegantly make their way inside the mansion. Most of the guests arrived in as couples or groups, rarely anyone coming in on their own. Lucinda blinked, know that it was going to be almost impossible to get in through the main entrance. She would have to find a back entrance, and hopefully sneak her way into the party without being noticed. With a large shadow casting over her, she walked along the side of the mansion until she saw a small side entrance, probably used for the servants. Lucinda smiled and quickly approached it, taking a hold of the doorknob to find that was, thankfully, unlock.

_You think the rich viscount would have the brains to lock the side doors so no unwanted guests could come in._

Amused by that ignorance of humans, Lucinda went inside to find that she was in a pitch black room, though there was a very bright light coming from the hallway. Clutching onto her fan tightly, she followed the light until she eventually found herself at the party, where the house was crowded with hundreds of aristocratic guests. Men and women, all dressed in elegant silks, moved around the large ballroom, with many groups of people chatting, eating and drinking wine, or dancing to the ballroom music.

Already, Lucinda felt extremely claustrophobic and unsure of herself, since she had never been in a room with so many people. The shinigami realm was always low on the population, giving it various wide opened spaces, and though Undertaker's shop/home was very small, there was still enough room for her to move around. This...Lucinda was afraid that whichever step she took, she would run into someone.

_But it does not matter, for I have to get to the demon before he gets my first reaped soul!_

Forcing herself to keeping moving and not have her mind dwell on the crowds, Lucinda narrowed her eyes as she tried to find a sign of Sebastian, or even the viscount himself. But with all the closed in people, along with the bright lights hurting Lucinda's eyes, it made it very difficult to focus on anything.

_And do all these humans have to talk so damn loudly?! _

"Oh wow, your dress is _so_ cute!"

Lucinda blinked, as she turned to see a young girl with large blonde pigtails gazing up at her with admiring emerald eyes.

"Your dress is beautiful!" the girl exclaimed with a squeak of delight. "You look really cute in it!"

"Uh...thank you," Lucinda replied.

The girl smiled.

"You're welcome! Though I don't think I've ever seen you before at one of these fancy parties my parents take me to. I would definitely remember seeing someone as lovely as you!"

Lucinda's grip on her fan tightened with anxiety.

"Well...you could say this is my first one," she said, saying what ever came to her head first.

The girl giggled. "I can see that!"

She did a small curtsy.

"My name is Elizabeth Milford. What's your name?"

Lucinda gave a small smile.

"I am Lucinda. A pleasure to meet you."

Elizabeth smiled.

"Glad to have met you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your first party, Lucinda!"

With a cheerful look in her eye, Elizabeth went off to admire the other brilliant dresses.

_What a kind girl,_ Lucinda thought, watching her go. _Perhaps there are a few decent humans that are not all snobs or irritating imbeciles. _

"He he he! Human children can be quite amusing, can't they?"

Lucinda froze as a giggling voice rang in her ears.

Slowly moving her gaze to her right, she saw Undertaker, dressed in a pure black suit with his hair tied back, though bangs still in his face, approaching her. Lucinda's face paled dramatically and Undertaker chuckled.

"Human children are the most innocent creatures you will ever meet in the mortal realm," he said with a large smile. "They can bring so much joy to a person, and it is always a sad thing when you have to reap a soul of a child, making them if not the most difficult souls to willingly reap."

Lucinda just stood there, completely speechless, making Undertaker seem more amused at her frozen expression. At that moment, a new song began to play for the dancing couples. With a slight crooked smile on his face, Undertaker offered his hand to Lucinda.

"Since we are here, we might as well enjoy ourselves with a dance," he said cheerfully. "May I?"

Lucinda's eyes widened.

"Uh...well, I..."

Though she didn't really have a choice of answering, for Undertaker had already took a hold of her hand that held her fan and gently guided her to the dance floor. They then began to dance a waltz, where Lucinda's heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to keep from stepping on Undertaker's feet. For awhile, they danced in silence, Undertaker smiling at her as Lucinda tried to figure out what he was up to. He _had_ to know what she was doing!

_But why offer me to dance with him? Is he trying to confuse me? _

"You hid your death scythe very effectively, Lucy," Undertaker suddenly commented. "For a first timer, you were able to disguise it almost perfectly as a fan."

"I, uh..."

Lucinda had to keep her attention divided between her answering Undertaker and making sure she kept up with the waltz.

"...I tried my best... Didn't think it would work for me at first, since I didn't technically own the death scythe..."

Undertaker chuckled.

"And yet you still claimed it, whether or not it was given to you by the reaper society or not. You chose it, so it _is_ yours."

As they danced towards the edge of the dance area, many of the surrounding couples gave Undertaker and Lucinda strange looks. Normally, Lucinda would have made a snappish comment about how they should mind their own business and stop staring at her, but she was too focused on Undertaker to really take notice or care.

"Why are you dancing with me?" she finally asked, her eyes never leaving Undertaker. "Shouldn't you be mad at me and telling me I am a fool for going after the demon?"

Undertaker chuckled softly.

"It is true you disobeyed me and went after a monster that you clearly could not stand a chance against."

A kind smile appeared on his face.

"But you also took a big risk and carried yourself through your decision. You proven to me that you can operate on your own and can blend into the mortal realm to carry out your job effectively. Even if you are a bit over your head."

He giggled a softly. Lucinda blinked, surprised to hear such praise for her speaking out her mind. Soon enough, the song ended and Undertaker lead Lucinda off the dance floor.

"That was a wonderful dance, m'dear," Undertaker said. "It has been so long since I was able to dance at a party like this, especially with a beautiful woman such as yourself."

Lucinda's face turned red.

"_Right_..."

She paused for a short moment.

"So...I guess you won't allow me to continue with my plan, will you?"

Undertaker's smile grew and Lucinda let out a heavy sigh.

"Thought so... But _when_ will I get to start reaping souls?"

Undertaker put his arm around her and pulled her close to him.

"Very soon, m'dear. Since you proven to me that you can potentially survive in the human realm, we can now start focusing on actual soul reaping."

Lucinda's eyes brightened up.

"Really?!"

"Yes," Undertaker answered with a nod. "I will begin teaching you how to hunt for human souls and give you certain tips to help in future combat, tips that I couldn't give you if we were still in the shinigami realm."

"If we were back home, I wouldn't even _be_ your apprentice," Lucinda commented.

Undertaker laughed.

"Indeed you wouldn't. And a shame that would be."

With Lucinda distracted, Undertaker began to lead her away from the party. And as they left, Undertaker kept quickly glancing back at the other side of the room, where Sebastian was dancing a cross-dressing Ciel Phantomhive, along with Madam Red's butler with his shinigami yellow-green eyes on anything but them.


	10. Chapter 9

"Hey, Undertaker, can I ask you something?"

Undertaker looked up from the newspaper he was reading to see Lucinda coming into the kitchen. Undertaker smiled.

"You're up early, m'dear. Ready to start training, I assume?"

"Well...yes, of course I'm always ready to train," Lucinda replied, moving her fingers through the ends of her ponytail, "though I wanted to ask you some things before we got to training..."

Undertaker sat the newspaper down on the table.

"_Really_? Dear little Lucy has other things besides training on her mind? This, might I say, is a great shock!"

He gave a small laugh, causing Lucinda's face to grow bright red. She glared at him.

"S-shut up! All you think about is working on your 'guests!' That's no different from me!"

Undertaker snickered.

"He he he! You don't need to get so defensive. I was just teasing you."

"Like I couldn't tell."

Lucinda sat down in the chair across from Undertaker. She sighed.

"Look...remembered when I told you my hero was Adrian Crevan and you said that you knew him?"

Undertaker's smile grew. "How could I forget? I almost died of laughter!"

He giggled softly but Lucinda ignored it.

"Well...I was wondering..."

She hesitated.

"...Could you, by chance, get me to meet him? I mean, when I'm done being your apprentice and all?"

Undertaker's smile faded away. There was a short silence, Undertaker's eyes drifting to the ground, as if he was trying to avoid eye contact even though Lucinda couldn't see his eyes.

"...I _suppose_ I could arrange a meeting with him... It is true that he doesn't get that many visitors, especially from his own kind... However, I have one question for you."

Undertaker put his hands together and rested his chin on top of them, locking his eyes on Lucinda.

"What are your reasons for wanting to meet him and what will you do once you see him?"

Lucinda blinked, looking surprised by Undertaker's question.

"Well...I'm not exactly sure what you mean," she answered sincerely, "but my main reason to meet him is because I've admired him for a long time. He is a great shinigami who has done so many things, things that most grim reapers only _dream_ about! I could learn a lot from him, and I...also want to thank him."

Undertaker gave a curious expression.

"Thank him for what, m'dear?"

Lucinda's cheeks turned red as she avoided eye contact with Undertaker.

"It is really because of him I've gotten this far," she confessed softly. "He was the one who gave me inspiration to become a grim reaper. He is strong, he is respected, he isn't afraid of anything... He is everything I wanted to be!"

Her eyes grew dark.

"Unfortunately, the thing I wanted to be was not the thing everyone else wanted... And this may sound a bit immature of me...but it would be nice to have my hero accept me as an equal and my decision. Accept who I am."

There was a long silence, Lucinda being too embarrassed to meet Undertaker's gaze. Undertaker studied her for a long moment, many things going through his mind. Silently, he stood up from the table and approached Lucinda's side. Putting his finger under her chin, he made her look up at him. Lucinda blinked while Undertaker just smiled down on her.

"If you plan on meeting Adrian Crevan, m'dear, you need to like yourself more," Undertaker said softly, "and learn not to rely so much on other people's opinions. If you want to meet the hero you believe is strong, then you have to become strong."

Lucinda's eyes grew wide. Undertaker, his eyes never leaving her, offered her his hand and he helped her stand up.

"People have a hard time accepting new concepts that are strange to them," he continued. "People, especially shinigami, are afraid to explore a new idea they have no control over. You already know that the path you have chosen will lead you down resentment, and you cannot let society's views pull you down."

Lucinda blinked.

"S-so you are saying..."

"I'm saying that there is a good chance that you won't ever get accepted," Undertaker explained. "Our kind has already dubbed you strange and crazy because you tried to branch out to your full potential. As long as you are happy with your decision, it should not matter what everyone else thinks. Do you understand what I am trying to say, Lucy?"

Lucinda's eyes watered, her breathing thickening as she tried not cry.

"...I had partly hoped that once I got the higher ups to see how great of a grim reaper I have become, I would get accepted back," she muttered, her voice cracking. "That I wouldn't be an outcast anymore..."

Undertaker smiled sympathetically.

"And what's wrong with being an outcast? Is it worth suffering through the lies and cruelty of others just to find the simplest companionship?"

There was a short silence.

"...No, it isn't," Lucinda finally answered, a single tear falling from her eye. "And it is about time I fully learned that lesson."

She paused.

"...But I'm not completely alone either. I have you."

Undertaker stiffened, feeling a bit surprised. Unexpectedly, Lucinda put her arms around him and embraced him in a tight hug. Undertaker froze, his face becoming slightly warm as he felt Lucinda's closeness. Neither of them said anything, an awkward silence filling the air. Undertaker could sense a desperate need of comfort from Lucinda, her grip on him becoming tighter and tighter. Eventually, he hugged her back, his muscles slowly losing tension the longer he held her.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Ronald asked as he slowly opened the door to William's office. "Your secretary said it was urgent."

"And indeed it is," William answered, sitting at his desk as he wrote down some paperwork.

He said nothing else, making Ronald just stand there awkwardly in front of the door. Ronald gave a puzzled look.

"Uh...sir, do you want me to sit down?"

"No, for we will be leaving in a few minutes," William replied nonchalantly. "Just need to write down one more thing..."

He wrote a few quick notes. Ronald sighed to himself, feeling slightly annoyed.

_If we were going to leave as soon as I arrive, why bother sending me?_

"...There, done," William said as he sat the papers to the side.

He got up from his chair.

"Please follow me, Knox. We are going to meeting room A-13."

"Isn't that meeting room being used right now?" Ronald questioned. "I saw the sign saying that it was in use on the way here."

But William did not answer his question, only gently moving Ronald to the side so that he may pass. Ronald sighed and followed him, knowing that all his questions were about to be answered in a matter of seconds.

Walking down a busy hallway, passing by many attractive secretaries, Ronald noticed, the two shinigami soon arrived at meeting room A-13. William unlocked the door with a key and he and Ronald went inside. Upon entering, Ronald's eyes widened with shock to see that only one other person was in the room, and with their whole body tied against a chair.

"Sir...what is this?" Ronald questioned, alarmed. "_Why_ is he tied to a chair?"

"Because he is a criminal that I just captured," William explained with little emotion. "Knox, he is the one who broke into the death scythe department."

Ronald's eyes widened. The shinigami tied to the chair then noticed he and William were in the room, his long red hair falling in his well beat up face.

"Oh Will darling, you are back!" Grell Sutcliff exclaimed, his broken glasses obviously effecting his vision. "I was getting worried that you would leave me here all alone..."

"Quiet, Sutcliff," William spat in disgust. "You are already in trouble as it is. Do not make it worse for yourself."

Grell let out a dreamy sigh.

"Even when threatening me, your voice is always so intoxicating... Even more than Sebastian darling's!"

William's eyes glowed with annoyance. At that moment, Grell's gaze moved towards Ronald.

"Who is this, Will?" he asked. "With my specs all messed up, I can't tell who the other man is, no doubt handsome..."

"My name is Ronald Knox," Ronald said. "I'm with the dispatch department."

"Well...I would say nice to meet you," Grell replied with a crooked smile. "But as you can see...I'm in a bit of a mess. Because _someone_ felt it was okay to _mess up a lady's face like this_!"

He whimpered out small sobs. Ronald, disturbed by this, turned his attention to William.

"Mr. Spears, sir, I'm still not sure why you brought me here," he said. "Do you think I have something to do with Mr. Sutcliff's robbery of the death scythe department?"

William shook his head.

"No, you are here for a completely different reason."

He cleared his throat.

"Sutcliff here has been hiding within the human realm for months now and knows his way around without bringing too much attention to himself. He was able to disguise himself as a butler for one of the aristocratic humans in London and was able to pull off being a mortal almost perfectly."

"Well, I _am_ an actress!" Grell announced with pride.

William glared at him, causing Grell to give an uneasy smile, before turning his attention back to Ronald.

"Since our sources are failing to find any trace of Harrowine and reap souls at the same time within the London area," William concluded, "Sutcliff here is not only fit for the punishment of finding her, but also will have a better time tracking her down. He has spent a long time with humans and trying to imitate them, so I have no doubt he will be able to find her trying to do the same imitations as he did."

"Ah, Will, you put so much faith in me, darling!"

Again, William glared at Grell to make him silent.

"The reason why I brought you here, Knox, was that I want you to tell Sutcliff all about Harrowine," William said. "Tell him all that he would need to know in order to track her down. Do you understand?"

Ronald nodded.

"I do, sir. But is it a good idea to give this type of assignment to someone like Sutcliff?"

"Hey, what are you trying to say!?" Grell demanded furiously. "Are you insulting me?!"

Ronald ignored him.

"Wouldn't he try to escape again if we allow him back into the human world?"

"I have thought about that," William answered calmly. "And that is why I will be attaching a tracking device onto him. If he tries to escape again, I will know."

He made his way to the door.

"I will leave you two alone so that you can discuss the matter in private," William said over his shoulder. "Within the hour, I will return and then you will be free to go. Just give Sutcliff the information and that is all."

He then closed the door behind him. Grell blinked.

"Well...he seems to have you close leash," he commented. "Did you two get into an argument or something?"

Ronald narrowed his eyes.

"No, it is just we have different view points on this situation," he answered simply. "The only reason I am here is because I know Lucinda the best out of everyone."

"...Makes sense," Grell replied, now seemingly bored. "Is she like your girlfriend or something?"

Ronald shook his head as he sat in the seat next to Grell, to his great discomfort.

"No, she is just a close friend," Ronald explained. "We've kind of had each others' back for a long time and we take care of each other. Though as of late...it has been more like me taking care of her."

Grell raised an eyebrow.

"Her name is Lucinda Harrowine, right? I've heard many rumors about her being some sort of freak."

_You're one to talk._

"But I don't know her personally, so I'll just do what Will says and bring her back," Grell continued. "I can't make any promises, but if I don't see anything dangerous with her, I _might_ try to persuade Will on bring down her punishment. After all...who doesn't just want to get away from it all? The life of a shinigami is stressful."

Ronald nodded.

"I agree. And Lucinda isn't dangerous, nor is she psychotic. She's just...different."

"Different is one way to put it," Grell replied. "And hopefully that's all it is."


	11. Chapter 10

_Crash_!

Lucinda walked straight into the wall of the parlor, taking a quick step back and rubbing her forehead while cursing softly to herself.

This…this was the _most_ frustrating piece of training she had ever done!

Before she could begin learning how to properly fight with her death scythe, Undertaker thought that the best way to truly be skilled in combat was to overcome every grim reaper's main weakness, their poor nearsightedness. Undertaker had taken away Lucinda's glasses, leaving her almost completely blind, and had ordered her to catch him somewhere in the parlor, as he had closed the shop for the day just to properly train with her. She had only been at it for a few minutes now, and already, she was at her boiling point.

How_ is chasing him around a room, coffins scattered all over the floor, suppose to help me fight blindly?!_

Lucinda could hear Undertaker raving with laughter at the other side of the room, clearly enjoying himself.

"_He he he_!" he cried out with big gasps of air. "Lucy dear, you will _never_ succeed in capturing me if you just blindly run around the room! You have to strategize and use your other senses to make up for your lack of sight."

Lucinda growled.

_Easier said than done!_

Forcing herself to calm down, or the best she could, she turned away from the wall and slowly started to move through the room. She used her feet to feel what was in front of her, as everything was so dark and blurry. Even her own feet and hands were hard to put into focus. She could hear Undertaker's laughs and giggles, and by focusing on his voice, she used it to help guide her. But once she got on the right course, she would hear Undertaker move around the room, causing her to trip over the coffins multiple times. Undertaker would laugh, teasing her a little while she tried to stand back up. And the same results kept accruing over and over again, causing her to become angrier and make more rash mistakes.

Undertaker chuckled.

"If you can't conquer a simple exercise like this, how do you expect to win a fight against a demon if you lose your glasses during the middle of the battle?"

Lucinda sat down on one of the coffins, rubbing her aching forehead.

"How do you expect me to _find_ you if I can't _see_ you? My other senses can't track you down near as well and when they do, it always fails."

Lucinda could picture a large grin on Undertaker's face.

"That's because you are thinking too hard on finding me," he said. "Thinking causes hesitation, giving distraction and frustration which effects on your actions. Instead of letting your brain tell your actions what to do, use only your instincts. Don't think, but act."

Lucinda felt extremely puzzled. That made no sense to her, for how could she find him if she didn't think about it? But nevertheless, she closed her eyes and emptied her mind.

She could feel her frustration start to fade, a new, different feeling of control coming over her. She started to pick up small sounds within the room, the tiny creaks within the walls and even some of the noise coming from outside the shop. Lucinda stood up again, reopening her eyes to her still blurry world.

"Are you up for the challenge again, Lucy?" Undertaker asked, in almost a sing-song tone of voice.

Lucinda turned towards the direction of his voice. Slowly, she moved her foot forward and took a step, using her sense of touch to find nearby coffins. Trying to keep her mind at peace, Lucinda listened carefully for any sound or movement Undertaker would make, slowly following it closely while also being aware of her surroundings.

"Good, very good!" Undertaker praised. "Now, try to see if you can move a bit quicker."

And Lucinda did, her movements becoming a little swifter the more she got use to the sense of being blind. Suddenly, she stood completely still. There was a short silence, as she heard Undertaker's footsteps move closer to her.

"…Lucy?"

Her eyes gazed right in the direction the voice came from. Quickly reaching out, Lucinda was able to take a hold of Undertaker's arm. She smirked.

"Looks like I got you."

There was a small pause.

"…He he he, looks like you did."

Again, there was another pause. Lucinda blinked, wondering why Undertaker was taking so long to reply. Was he looking at something? She could not tell, since his face was so blurry. But the silence made her uncomfortable.

"…So can I have my specs back now?" Lucinda finally asked in a small voice. "I'm getting a bit of a headache without them…"

It took awhile for Undertaker to reply.

_What's with him?_

Lucinda felt him slip his arm out of her grip.

"There is one last training exercise I want you to do today, m'dear," Undertaker said, his voice having a slightly odd tone to it. "I want you to go the rest of the day without your specs to get use to the blindness. It will make things go quicker and help you learn how to do tasks without your eye sight."

Lucinda's eyes widened.

"What? Undertaker, I can't do that," she replied alarmed. "I've already have a large headache, not to mention my head hurts from bumping into things! Can't we do that tomorrow and focus on something else?"

Undertaker said nothing in reply, giggling softly to himself as he began to back away. Lucinda blinked.

"Hey, Undertaker!"

She tried to catch up to him. Without watching where she was stepping, Lucinda anciently tripped over one of the coffins. Losing her balance, she fell frontwards, causing her to fall straight into Undertaker. They both collided onto the ground, Lucinda lying right on top of Undertaker.

"Oh shit!" Lucinda cried. "I didn't mean to fall on top of you! I…"

She stopped in mid sentence, for she realized that her head was lying right on top of his chest. Lucinda froze, great heat rising to her face. She slowly lifted her head up, as she could see a blurry image of Undertaker's face, their faces only a few inches apart.

"…Oh shit…"

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"He he he…you took quite a fall, m'dear," Undertaker finally said to break the tensed silence. "Are you hurt?"

"Um…"

Lucinda felt like she was tongue-tied. She could hear a small, and yet nervous, chuckle escape Undertaker. Moving his arm slowly, he reached out inside his coat and pulled out Lucinda's glasses.

"Here are your specs back."

He put them back on Lucinda's face. With her vision back, she could see a very large grin over Undertaker's slightly red face. Lucinda got even more embarrassed as she quickly got herself off of him.

"…P-perhaps we should end training for the day," she said with a small stuttered. "I-I'll go back to my room and read more about human anatomy or something. I'll see you at dinner."

Refusing to make eye contact, Lucinda got up and swiftly made her way to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her and locking it. She leaned against the door, her heart pounding in her chest. The scene replayed in her mind, each second of the memory making her face grow even hotter.

_I'm a complete idiot!_

* * *

As he heard Lucinda's bedroom door shut, Undertaker sat on the floor of his parlor, staring into space. His heart pounded in his chest, despite the well put together appearance he held. Lucinda's horrified expression was priceless, and if it had been any other person in that situation, he would have laughed hysterically. But with dear young Lucy…

_It's almost like every time I'm in close contact with her, all the humor from the world goes away._

Undertaker remembered how Lucinda looked without her glasses, how her eyes seemed to stand out more without that dark frame dimming down their captivating glow. Those eyes he could not help but stare at, even though they were like any other shinigami's. But _what_ made Lucinda's eyes seem so much different?

_Bang, bang, bang_!

Undertaker's thoughts were interrupted when there was a loud, impatient knock at the door.


End file.
